A canopy for a nacelle of a wind turbine comprising a frame and covering elements held by the frame is disclosed in DE 10 2006 001 931 A1. The frame and the covering plates are curved to increase stability against forces acting from the outside of an assembled canopy and made from sandwich structures without core. Whether the frame is self-supporting or not is not mentioned.
Space frame concepts, in which self supporting frames and covering plates without supporting function are used, are known from the automotive industry. In the article “Alternative Fahrzeugkarosserien-Entwicklung eines Stahl-Space-Frame-Konzepts”, published in Automobiltechnische Zeitschrift-ATZ 110. Jahrgang, Oktober 2008, pp 878-883 discloses a space frame design for motorised vehicle bodies with a self supporting frame of aluminium or steel. Plates with a none supporting character are mounted to the frame. In case of an aluminium space frame design, the frame is executed with profiles made by a bar extrusion process. Profiles used in a space frame made of steel are manufactured by a hydro forming process.